Images(4)

Fireback

Maker Oxford Furnace

Period1746

MediumSand cast iron

Dimensions34.5 × 34.38 × 1.5 in. (87.6 × 87.3 × 3.8 cm)

InscribedMolded into design, "Oxford / 1746"

ClassificationsFireplace T&E

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Marie L. Beekman, 1980

Object number1980.23.1

DescriptionA fireback of sand cast iron, with overall blackened finish. The fireback is shield shaped, with straight sides and bottom edge, and a curve crested top edge. Molded into the fireback surface is the Arms of England, with a central quartered shield topped with a triple plumed helmet, a rampant lion at left, and a unicorn at right. Molded below the design is "Oxford / 1746."
Curatorial RemarksThe Arms of England were used by Oxford Furnace to decorate dated iron firebacks cast between 1745 and 1758. The ironworks, located in Warren County, NJ, began operation in 1742 and remained in blast as late as 1882. The high quality relief design is one of the finest documented products of an eighteenth century American foundry.NotesThis fireback was removed from the Beekman family residence located at the foot of Red Hill Road in the west end of Middletown village. The house had been built after a fire destroyed a former residence on the site in 1891. The fireback had been set into a fireplace in such a way that the legend and date at the bottom were obscured by the hearth bricks. The earliest section of the large, rambling Beekman house that burned had been built in the early 1750s by John Taylor, Esq. The fireback may have been salvaged from the ruins after the fire. Currently, it sits in the parlor hearth of Marlpit Hall on Kings Highway, Middletown.

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